reddirtlisahttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com
4 out of 5 dentists recommend this WordPress.com siteTue, 26 Sep 2017 21:41:45 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/d7ddd62837b90d0a0d1c325dc4d091a1?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngreddirtlisahttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com
‘Southern Drawl’https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/southern-drawl/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/southern-drawl/#respondMon, 15 Feb 2016 06:13:16 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=635]]>Hey y’all! It’s been a minute or two since I’ve been on here, but I’m here now so let’s get this party started! Today I’m going to enlighten y’all on some new tunes but most importantly my newest jam, ‘Southern Drawl’ and the good lookin feller that sings it.

Now I’ve shared some of Jon Langston’s stuff on my facespace and fan page so I know his face and name is familiar. I’ve shared the video to his song, ‘She’s So Georgia’ which I’m pretty sure he wrote about me… Except for the fact I’m not a raised GA girl… I mean I’ve asked mom and dad if I was conceived there and they just chuckle and say no but I’m pretty sure they’re lying. We all know I’m a die hard Bulldog fan, I can eat my weight in peaches, and I even own a English bulldog who I so proudly named Mason Dixon. One day I’m gonna connect the dots and find the connection… Alright enough about my love for the state, back to my teaching y’all what you’re missing.

I mean I’d never heard of Jon either till one of my friends tagged me in his ‘She’s So Georgia’ video link and I was like, “Who is he?!” so of course I go creeping and that turns into 3 hours on YouTube, Instagram, Tweeder, Facebook. You name it, I freaking creeped it, (Go ahead and call me super stalker Sally, I don’t care. I had to see what else he had up his sleeve.) the dude can sing. His songs ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Forever Girl’ and ‘Young and Reckless’ are just a few of the many songs he can slay with his deep vocals. He has the southern drawl when he sings, y’all know the one I’m talking about, the kind that makes your teeth sweat cause he’s as country as sweet tea in a mason jar. It’s not an act ladies, he’s leeeeegit. He is, no surprise here, a homegrown Georgia boy. He has that Georgia drawl, but before you write him off as “pop country” I’m gonna stop you right there. I’ve listened to every song he’s got on YouTube and not one damn pop or whistle flies out. Like I said, I did some homework, okay creeped, it’s all the same. If I could, I’d love to sit down with him on camera and pick his brain. Maybe someday.

I don’t “love” a lot of songs. (Pick your jaw up off the floor, just because I’m Red Dirt doesn’t mean I love everything I hear. Except Keith Whitney. It takes quite a bit for me to love a song, we’re talking the melody, the voice, the lyrics, the timing. Pretty much the whole nine yards mmkay? Now there’s some songs I listen to and I think, “So and so would sound better singing this.” So not the case with ‘Southern Drawl’. As a matter of fact, if someone else sang this song I would probably have to stop them and say, “You shut your mouth when singing this song.” I’m rude. I can’t help it.

Jon’s vocals are really clear and defined in ‘Southern Drawl’. If you listened to his song’ Oklahoma’ like I mentioned up top, you notice his voice is softer and lighter. In ‘Southern Drawl’ he sings it as if he’s driving it home to you that he loves your southern drawl. The melody is a good speed to where if you’re on the dance floor you’re gonna get some good two stepping twirling going. Its not no draggy ass tune that makes you wanna fall asleep in your beer. The lyrics….. Oh my Lawd Jesus…. When he says, “When I asked you your name,” you’re gonna get goosebumps. You’re gonna feel your teeth start sweating, might wanna grab a Shamwow or one of those slobber suckers they use at the dentist office. Yeah, I know…. Too descriptive.

Would I be one of those fans at a live show singing this song to the top of my lungs? You damn right! It’s a song rightly wrote giving praise to us southern girls’ accent. And that’s one thing that I get really defensive about, if I’m somewhere talking to someone or something and somebody mentions the way I talk I ask in a rather huffy tone,(also a southern thing) “What about it?” I never thought I had a drawl till I heard myself on the radio and I said, “I sound really country on the radio!” and one of my friends pointed out, “It’s not just on the rado.” So if you have a southern drawl, this song is gonna be your jam as well.

Now let’s not get it twisted, all his songs are great. So if you’re sitting there wondering why I only wrote about this song being the bomb diggety (yeah that was some old school shit, I’m bringing it back) its because I don’t have a full album in my hands to pick apart. It’s coming though. And while I’m waiting, y’all go creep him like I did and share his music and get his sound and name out there. I’m gonna leave the lyrics down below, go stop by his website, shop the store. I mean if y’all wanna get little ol me a She’s So Georgia shirt I wear a medium (just throwing that out there) buy yourself an album and shirt, its all at http://www.jonlangston.com!

~Where’d you learn to talk like that

It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard

You stopped me in my tracks

You got me hanging on to every word

When I asked you your name, could’ve heard you say it a thousand times

Hey y’all! It’s been a day or seven since my last blog, I thought I’d sit down and talk your ear off a little since it is Monday and everyone could use some positivity in their lives. My last blog I mentioned I had made some changes in my life; one of those was settling down and getting hitched. Yes in case you’ve been under a rock since January I said “I do.” and I couldn’t be more happier.

17 days after making it “Facebook official” that we were a couple we said our vows in front of a handful of close friends and family. Best damn decision I’ve made in a very long time. So what’s it like being married? Its interesting for sure…. For all of y’all that watched my posts on Facebook and thought I needed a reality show, ha! We need one now! It’s fun; we joke around, we Co-parent, we’re there for one another. Its been a rollercoaster ride for sure but I like rollercoasters so I’m not intimidated by what life has thrown us in the almost 5 months of unionship. If I’m having a moment he calms me with voice of reason, if he’s having a helluva time I’m right beside him listening and agreeing and being his rock. We argue like brother and sister (yes we argue, no its not WWE fights) don’t get me wrong we’re both alike; when we get mad and it gets to a boiling point heads are gonna roll. Luckily we’ve never seen each other on the element yet. I know there’s gonna come a day when the wrong person is gonna tick one of us off, its gonna be a bad day for that person. We’ll never fight. (Yes I said never) Our arguments consist of me doing the laundry and him telling me to just relax laundry can wait and me getting huffy cause laundry needs done. He’s my ride or die, regardless of what it is, right or wrong I’m gonna be by his side with 110% of my support. Just like ol Tammy said, “Stand By Your Man.” that’s what I’m gonna do till the day I die.

I’m not as high strung as I used to be. Now I do get wound up over certain things and he just sits back and lets me vent and get passed it. I’m laid back, he’s laid back. We both cut up and have fun in our marriage. I do admit my anxiety comes and goes and I struggle with that but I try not to let Chad see it. There are things that I’m still getting used to after being single for 5 years, I’m not alone now, I have someone who helps me and is there for me. That’s something I’ve wanted for a very long time.

Loving me is hard, and I applaud him everyday for loving me at my worst and best times. He’s truly my best friend and I’d be lost without him. He’s loving, supportive and is occasionally onry but I love it.

I have two bonus daughters now. Quinlynn is 6, same as Leyton. They’re actually 4 days apart so its like having twins, they remind me alot of me and Husser. For y’all that have no clue who I’m talking about Husser is my cousin, his dad married my aunt when I was 4 and he was 2. We grew up together and were close, even as adults now I still think of him as the little brother I never had. We share alot of memories and I can only hope Quin and Leyton do the same. Braxtyn is 2, she’s my baby love. We went through a battle to have her like we do and I’ll always be thankful for that battle. It brought Chad and I closer as husband and wife. I was worried that Braxtyn wouldn’t be close to me, she’s known her mother as the only woman in her life but after the third time around her she let me hold her and let me show her my motherly instinct. She now loves me as if I’ve always been in her life.

All three of our kids are blessings to me. No they’re not my step daughters, they’re my bonus daughters. I’m not their stepmom, I’m their bonus mom. The same with Leyton Chad is his bonus dad and Leyton is his bonus son. I don’t like that step crap. Me and the girls’ moms get along, same as Leytons dad and Chad. We don’t fight, we all Co-parent like all bonus parents should.

I’m happy, over the moon happy with my life and the ones who have weathered the storm with me, y’all are awesome. God definitely blessed my broken road and I’m so thankful and grateful for it!

Until next time, bye y’all!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2015/06/08/my-life/feed/0reddirtlisa“She’s a good ol girl.”https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/shes-a-good-ol-girl/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/shes-a-good-ol-girl/#respondMon, 01 Jun 2015 03:05:32 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=624]]>Hey y’all! Its been awhile! I’ve been off the grid, made some changes in my personal life and now I’m making my way back. Yes that’s right, I’m making a comeback. I mean its not gonna be as epic as Garth or nothing but its gonna be a fun ride!

Now for all of y’all that don’t know I got married. Yep, I said “I do.” and yes I’m extremely happy. Now your next question was it a singer/songwriter, no he’s neither. (Unless you count singing in the truck or shower, then yes he’s a singer) He actually had no clue what red dirt/Texas music was about till I blew into his life like a hurricane. I’m educating him! Now there’s some he doesn’t care for and some he does, I wish like hell Ragweed was still around so I could take him to a live show and let him experience that. CCR shows were like no other and to be honest there hasn’t been a show since to blow my socks off. (Womp womp) One artist though has stood out to me since I heard him back in 2012 and I will preach the gospel on him till I die; the one and only Frank Foster. (Can I get an Amen?) If you’ve heard of Frank then you probably got that

I took my hubby to his first ever concert back in January (yes I said first ever) and it was to see Frank sell out the Rev Room in Little Rock. I don’t think he knew what to expect, I mean I had bragged and went on and on about FF but you truly don’t get it till you see him jump on stage and kick ass. Cause he does for 90-120 minutes and the whole time it’s insane talent. (When you get the chance go catch a live show.)

When I sat down last summer with Frank and interviewed him before his first ever Oklahoma show in Marlow (which by the way he didn’t disappoint us Okies) we discussed his new album which hadn’t dropped yet, ‘Rhythm and Whiskey’ and I asked if there was gonna be any love songs on it. Frank can write a good love song now… He gave us ‘Real Woman’ on his Rowdy Reputation album and then ‘Lock The Door’ on Red Wings & Six Strings album. (Guys go listen and take note on how to talk to your lady and to keep her happy, you can thank me later for the help) Frank informed me that yes indeed there would be a love song and I would not be disappointed. He was right, I was not disappointed and yes I do love it.

‘Good Ol Girl’ is a slow tune that if you ain’t already, makes you wanna be a country girl that was raised right. No I don’t mean some slutty chick in some skimpy cut off shorts that don’t know what a backroad is, I mean the real country girl that knows where the best backroads are and will proceed to out sing you, out drink you, and leave you asking for more. The ones that still believe in old fashioned type relationships, the kind you wanna take home to mama. If you’re that girl then this is your jam. And yes before you ask, this song is my jam. As soon as I heard it I fell in love, I can only hope that when my husband hears it he thinks of me.

Franks got that deep voice that gets your attention and holds it cause you wanna hear what he has to say. This song leaves you waiting for the next line and as soon as its over you wanna hear it again. You can hear the sincerity in the words and his voice. It’s clearly a song written for Ashli, Franks wife. (Might I add she’s gorgeous and down home as they come) but if you listen to it and know your girl or if you’re a girl and can relate you’ll swear up and down it was written with you or your significant other in mind. Like I said earlier if you haven’t heard it or any of Franks songs please go to Youtube and prepare to have multiple eargasms. For all my fans that love a good COUNTRY song, not this pop crap on country radio you’ll love Frank. Please go to frankfostermusic.com and check out his tour schedule and the online store. Also note Frank and Ashli do all the work, they run the website, store and answer all the emails. There’s no middle man, another reason to love the man and his music! Below I’ll include the lyrics to Good Ol Girl, prepare to fall head over feet….

{She ain’t too much on painted up fancy

She lives her life in boots and jeans

But she still likes backroad romancin’

And she ain’t gotta look no further than me

Yeah she got the heart of her mama

The soul of an angel

Hard work to her, it ain’t no stranger

She’s a beautiful reminder of a different world

Aw, she’s a good ol girl

She’ll take a campier over candle

Yeah, she drinks beer so you can keep champagne

She knows all them songs by ol Rockin’ Randall

She’ll get the windows down, Lord you ought hear her sing

Yeah she got the heart of her mama

The soul of an angel

To her living country ain’t no stranger

She’s a beautiful reminder of a different world

She’s a good ol girl

She’s lover, she’s a lady

She’s forever, she’s a friend

She’s a modern day real woman

Who believes in love like it was back then

And she’s the savior of a wild and restless rambler

So I no longer walk alone

Yeah I was a wild card, she took a gamble

Now its her sweet love, keep me coming home

Yeah she’s got the heart of her mama

The soul of an angel

To her keeping promises ain’t no stranger

She’s a beautiful reminder of a different world

She’s a good ol girl

She’s a good ol girl

Aw, she’s a good ol girl}

Until next time my friends, bye y’all!!!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/shes-a-good-ol-girl/feed/0reddirtlisaJesse Keithhttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/jesse-keith/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/jesse-keith/#commentsMon, 28 Jul 2014 21:29:19 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=96]]>“Music is my connection to what the world doesn’t know about me” -Unknown

It’s no secret that I’m a huge music lover. I get lost in it. It produces words and phrases to stuff I’m thinking or feeling and helps me make people understand. I wish there was a song to describe the emotion I felt sitting down with Jesse Keith Whitley to talk music.

You’re probably sitting here reading this and thinking “Who is she talking about?” or “That name sounds familiar.” Lucky for you I have a big mouth and you’re going to learn today. Jesse Keith is the grandson of Grand Old Opry star George Morgan (‘Candy Kisses’) and the son of Lorrie Morgan (‘Something In Red’, ‘Dear Me’, ‘Watch Me’) and the late Keith Whitley (‘I’m No Stranger To The Rain’, ‘Miami, My Amy’, ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’) All of which are amazing artist with distinct voices, seriously if you haven’t heard any of those songs I named off go to YouTube and memorize all those songs and more.

I messaged Jesse Keith’s fan page on Facebook almost a year ago and to be honest I never expected a response. I messaged him and asked if I could interview him for a show I had just joined called All Twang TV, it was going out on a limb and hoping I didn’t come off as some chick who was crazy. To my surprise I got a response and at a later time a confirmation. He was down for the interview! I was in utter shock cause I’m going to tell you right now, he’s a big deal! Unfortunately, the morning of the interview I woke up with a kidney stone and couldn’t make it. I drove back all the way from Tennessee in pain and mad as hell… So much so, if I had a scalpel to cut out my right kidney that day I would’ve done it and threw it at a semi. As luck would have it, a gentleman by the name of Ken McMeans read my Keith Whitley blog and told me he’d hook a sister up with another time and place for the interview. (Well it wasn’t quite like that but you get the idea.) I was ecstatic! So through several messages we lined up a date, time and location and it was set in stone.

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t get nervous. At all. But I wasn’t interviewing just anyone, I was interviewing Jesse Keith friggin Whitley. So with my mother and 5 bags of luggage in tow we hopped in my Volkswagen Beetle and sped down to Stafford Texas to get geared up for the interview. For almost a year now I’ve been putting together a list of questions to ask and forgot it in Oklahoma… Yep I was on my own, which I do fly by the seat of my britches so I thought ‘Okay no big deal, I got this.’ With the encouragement and support from my friends and family I was confident about it. We agreed to do the interview when he did his sound check so we arrived early and looked around to get an idea of how to set up and its an outside venue. The panic sets in… I was not prepared for an outside interview; it was cooler in the pits of hell, humid, and the wind was slightly blowing and my camera…. yeah it picks up the slightest noise. We figured out ways around being outside and might I add a huge thanks and shout out to the members that work at the Redneck Country Club. Those folks were super nice and accommodating to what we had going on. If you’re ever in the Stafford/Sugarland area please stop by and see the place. It’s amazing!

Jesse is super nice and laid back, I even told him he reminded me of my little brother Dustin with the things he says and how he walks. Was I nervous once I met him and chit chatted? No, like I said it was like being around my little brother; the joking around and the sense of humor. What I do get nervous about is a camera in my face and the pressure of not looking like a fool with my no questions. (Remember I packed everything except my list of questions) I mean I get so nervous I forget my name! Who does that?! Just sitting there shooting the bull with someone is so easy, as soon as the camera is set up and its recording I forget what’s going on. Even with Jesse, he even asked me “What are you nervous about, it’s just me.” It’s the pressure of being flawless and everything going smooth. In the end we agreed to sit down in the hotel and do the interview there just so there would be no background noise and it wouldn’t be hotter than hell.

We sat down and what happens? I gigglesnort and cackle right when my mom hit record… (*drops head and whispers* I know I know, I’ll never outgrow the gigglesnort…) Thank you sweet eight pound baby Jesus swaddled in lambs cloth for editing. My mind went blank on what to say but I did my best to ask questions I know I was curious about. Keep in mind I steer clear of questions that raise eyebrows or might tick someone off. I told Jesse from the get go that I wasn’t going to be disrespectful with my questions, this is why, he took time out of his day, schedule and life to sit down with me, a girl from Oklahoma to talk music, family and Texas. I want the person I’m interviewing to feel like they’re talking with a friend, not being an artist and I’m a reporter and it was no different with Jesse. I told Jesse two things after the interview: 1) He’s a hard person to interview 2) I don’t look at him like he’s a singer but I consider him a friend. Here’s why I say he was a hard person to interview, he was very professional. I ain’t used to that. Now I’m not saying the other artist I’ve interviewed wasn’t because they were but Jesse was very to the point and matter of factly. He wasn’t vague nor did he beat around the bush and I’m not gonna lie, he threw me off my game. (Jesse-1 RDL-0) We stuck around and hung out with Jesse afterwards and once again it felt like hanging out with my little brother. We told funny stories about our families and talked music and merchandise. (Yes I’ll proudly sport my JKW shirt around and once my Red Dirt Lisa shirts come in I’m sending him one to wear. Jesse, I’m holding you to that!)

We headed to the Redneck Country Club and waited for Jesse to perform. He killed it. His voice, stage presence, and the way to handle a crowd blew me away. Yeah I’ve YouTubed him and watched how he interacts with a large crowd but it’s so much different in person. Everyone had fun and not only did he do his tunes but some of his daddy’s, one of Clint Black’s chart toppers and covers of Tyler Farr’s ‘Redneck Crazy’ and Brantley Gilbert’s ‘Saving Amy’. I strongly suggest y’all reading this to go see him live, buy his stuff on iTunes and go ‘like’ his page on Facebook to keep up with what he’s doing. Call your local music venues and request them to bring Jesse Keith to your area as well. I’m telling you, he’s gonna be bigger than life and you’re gonna want to say “I’ve been a fan of his since before he was selling out venues and topping the charts.”

Until next time, bye y’all!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/jesse-keith/feed/2reddirtlisa‘The South’ by The Cadillac Threehttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/the-south-by-the-cadillac-three/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/the-south-by-the-cadillac-three/#commentsSat, 24 May 2014 17:15:54 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=612]]>Well… Well… Well… (In my Stoney LaRue voice) I get told more often than not that my descriptions on certain things are funny and unique. I do speak my mind and before you ask I do not think about what I’m going to say, I like to be just as surprised as everyone else. So when I decided to sit down and write about The Cadillac Three’s single ‘The South’ I knew I’d need to explain myself before diving in head first. Consider that description of myself up there ^^^ a warning (Nothing bad!)

I’ve seen these fellers before in concert, twice as a matter of fact and I liked em. (Didn’t love em, liked em. Big difference when it comes to me.) Last summer they opened for Whiskey Myers at the Rib Room in Ft. Smith and I vividly remember telling my friend Cassie “I thought I dropped the F-bomb a lot, this cat has me beat by a country mile!” It’s true, the dude said the F-bomb every other word, I wonder how he refrains himself in on camera interviews? Since I’m so curious I might as well see if I can line up and interview to see for myself…. (Dually noted.) In my opinion, which don’t mean much, they sound like a cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Whiskey Myers. They have that southern rock image and sound, I like it a lot. Some people might not like it but to each their own. Some little tiddy bits I learned about the fellers is: 1) lead vocalist, Jaren Johnston co-wrote ‘You Gonna Fly’ for Keith Urban, ‘Southern Girl’ for Tim McGraw, and ‘Days of Gold’ for Jake Owen with drummer, Neil Mason. (Did you raise your eyebrow like I did when I first heard this little bit of info?) 2) They were formally known as The Cadillac Black before changing their name to The Cadillac Three. Now if The Cadillac Black sounds familiar it’s because whenever Brantley Gilbert opened for Eric Church at the Ft. Smith Convention Center back in January 2012 they were the long haired guys on stage before BG and they went by The Cadillac Black. 3) On the single ‘The South’ Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley and Mike Eli from the Eli Young Band are featured singing along. (You learn something new everyday huh?)

I love the song, and Jaren’s voice is different. It’s one of those unique voices that I’m drawn to, being a horse of a different breed in the music business is good. I mean who the heck wants to blend in with every one else? I’d want to be different to make sure I stood out in peoples minds. Jaren does that. This song gives a nod to the south, (um…. duh.) everything is better in the south. (Who the heck retires and moves up north? My point exactly.) It reminds you why you love the south in a rocker kind of way. The melody has a good beat that makes you wanna stomp your feet and by the time you’ve reached the chorus you’re head banging and busting out moves you didn’t know your body could possess. Perfect song to get the crowd fired up to, someone give the record label a raise for releasing this single. It draws attention to these guys and leaves you wanting more. Go to YouTube right now and look it up. (Note: it makes me wanna drive 95 and then do a Dukes of Hazzard 360 spin.)

Now onto my thoughts of the video… Oh lawdy have mercy… I sat there with the raised eyebrow and slow nod while watching this video. Like I said I’ve seen these guys twice in concert and I’m not sure what image I had in my head for them to have because clearly it wasn’t the one they have in real life. I’ll shoot straight with you, the way Jaren says “boots and red clay” gives me goosebumps. So imagine my face when the camera gets a close up of him singing those words and I realize he has prettier hair than me! Don’t get it twisted, I’d party like Pamela Anderson with these guys if I was given the chance. (and when I say party, I mean I’d badger them the entire time about what hair products they use and in the back of my head count how many f-bombs get dropped.) They’re rocking out and then there’s the folks you commonly see in the south; Farmers, ranchers, folks in overalls, country girls dancing in a chicken coop. (Yes you read that right.) I had to watch the video twice to make sure I was seeing this right, then you see the special guests, Dierks, Mike and the boys from Florida Georgia Line singing their part. I know I make jokes and have somewhat snarky remarks but it looks like the making of this video was fun. The South is fun, the tea is sweeter, the days are longer, the country is prettier, and the people are more nice than some hoidy toidy executive in a three piece suit and tie you see up North.

I give the boys from The Cadillac Three a thumbs up on the video and two thumbs up on the song. Go visit their website http://www.thecadillacthree.com for concert dates, merchandise and other upcoming news. Until next time, bye y’all!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/the-south-by-the-cadillac-three/feed/1reddirtlisaHey Y’all!!!https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/hey-yall-2/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/hey-yall-2/#respondWed, 21 May 2014 17:56:51 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/hey-yall-2/]]>Testing out the new plugins]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/hey-yall-2/feed/0reddirtlisa‘Nashville Checklist’https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/nashville-checklist/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/nashville-checklist/#respondWed, 21 May 2014 17:39:07 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=597]]>Album reviews…. Some say they’re a pain in the butt, I say it’s an excuse for me to jump in the truck, roll the windows down and get lost in the music. Some would rather buy certain songs instead of the whole album but I like to see what else the artist has, what else they sing about, what else they have up their sleeve. In this case there are no sleeves involved, because the album I’m reviewing doesn’t wear sleeves. (Okay only on some special occasions but any other time you’ll see him with cut off sleeves, even in the winter time.) I’m reviewing my buddy Bo Phillips and his Band’s newest studio album, ‘Nashville Checklist’ Before you think “Gah Lisa it came out months ago.” keep in mind some folks might not have it, some folks might not care to buy it simply because they’ve never heard of him or because “red dirt” isn’t their thing. But here’s the deal, I told Bo I’d review the album and I’d give my honest brutal opinion and I’m keeping up with my end of the bargain. Who knows there might be someone reading this review and think “Man I need to go listen to this album she speaks of.” (I doubt my opinion matters to others but a girl can dream right?)

I have Bo’s other two studio albums and after listening to ‘Nashville Checklist’ for a week straight I listened to them to make notes of what I thought. Here’s a recap of the first two; Bo put out his first studio album in 2009 titled ‘Dirt Road’ and from that album we heard his fan favorites ‘Peace On Earth’, ‘Never’ and ‘Perfect Girl’. Then in 2011 his second studio album dropped and from that album we heard ‘Front Porch’, his first #1 song on Texas Music Charts ‘Red Dirt Girl’ and his follow up single ‘Riverbed’. Okay now that we got a crash course lesson in BPB music let’s get on with it(:

One thing I notice about Bo that separates him from other artists is his ability to sing and perform for his loyal fans with emotion. He shows it on his face and you can hear it in his voice. He doesn’t have a poker face like some other artist do, who sing with the same look and same emotion, I ain’t knocking other artist so don’t get it twisted and in all honesty I never noticed it til ‘Nashville Checklist’. Speaking of voices…. while listening to all three albums and taking notes, I did notice how Bo’s voice has changed since 2009. It now sounds seasoned and older. (My Lord he’s gonna kill me for that statement but I’m being brutally honest and he knows I mean well.) It’s only fitting he sings with emotion and sincerity in some songs, he’s most likely lived em. It sounds cliché but any songwriter will tell you they write what they live or how they feel, that’s Bo. Every song but two he has wrote on his own (Can you name the two he’s co wrote?)

On ‘Nashville Checklist’ he let’s the listener in on some of his humor. If you’ve never been to a Bo show or you don’t follow him on Facebook or Twitter then you’re missing out. Bo is open about his thoughts and opinions regarding the sounds coming out of Nashville so it’s no surprise he calls out the obvious ways to hit it “big” in Music City with title track ‘ Nashville Checklist’. He talks about the now more popular Auto-Tune, bedazzled jeans most men are wearing and the most talked about subjects in songs. (tractors, small towns and hunting just to name a few.)

His first release off the album, ‘Her Favorite Song’ has became nearly every girls favorite song. Can you name your favorite song? Most can’t because they don’t have one actual song pinpointed to be their favorite. Most likely a girls favorite song is one that best describes her at that moment or describes her emotion. Bo hits the description on the head:Her favorite song is a fast one, when she ain’t afraid to die,
Or a slow one with a fiddle when she just needs to cry
She might not have the answer so please don’t take it wrong
But you’ll see it when she hears her favorite song

Another crowd favorite is a song Bo first started playing live before the others and everyone can relate to it. The Pissed Off Clown Song, if we’re censoring then it’s known as ‘Don’t Flatter Yourself’. Based on a true story over a relationship that ended and the person is hurt then they come out in the end a strong person. They never needed the person at all and telling them they were so much better without em. (Remember when I said he sings with emotion? This is one of the ones that showcases it.) In my opinion his song ‘Name and Number’ is the sassy sequel to ‘Don’t Flatter Yourself’, we hear the hurt and the building ourself back up in ‘POC’. In ‘Name and Number’ we hear the sassy and telling the person off that hurt us to begin with. (Both songs would be great karaoke songs…. just saying…)

What album would be complete without your love songs? ‘New Way’ and ‘Me and You’ are just that. ‘New Way’ gives new ways to say I love you to your significant other (This song comes in handy if you’ve ran out of ways and you’ve somehow not made it clear to your significant other that they mean the world to you.) ‘Me and You’ well…. if a feller admitted to me he can cook and hunt and ‘The Notebook’ made em cry well I’d give him a chance!

Then there is ‘Runnin’ Kind’, ‘Bring You Back’ and ‘Nightstand’… I’ll shoot straight with you, I really couldn’t relate to ‘Runnin’ Kind’ and listening to it and asking Bo what inspired it it’s then that I realized that the reason I couldn’t relate is because I’d never experienced what the song was about… So the verdict is still out of ‘Runnin’ Kind’ (Sorry!) ‘Bring You Back’ is not only personal to Bo but to me as well, (and to anyone who’s ever lost someone close to them) It’s well written to the point it describes what you feel when life is suddenly cut short and you no longer have the future with someone but it doesn’t make you cry. (It did me, not going to lie about that!) ‘Nightstand’…. well its a dark song. I cry listening to it. The melody and the story it tells is one that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel sad. (Not like depressing but the song, you can picture the scene in your head. It’s like watching a movie as the words flow. I told you, it’s deep!)

Bo gives a respectful nod to The Possum in ‘Jonesin for George’. In the wake of his death, Bo sat down and wrote this song in memory of what country music is supposed to sound like and of George himself. Hearing the first few chords I thought I was actually listening to a George Jones song!

The hidden track not listed on the cover is one that came out of a game… Bo sat in with Justin Frazell, radio personality from 95.9 The Ranch (a station out of Ft. Worth) we hear the entire conversation. The game being played is called ‘Ten words to show your talent’, callers can call in and give the artist one word, the artist then writes it down and moves onto the next caller, so on and so on until there is ten words. The artist is then given a time to have a song written by so they can perform it live on air using all ten words they were given from the callers. (You still with me on how it works? Good!) In this case ‘The Baseball Song’ was born, any baseball fan would love it! Of course, Bo mentions the Texas Rangers but you can sing your own version by replacing the Rangers out with your own favorite ball team. (High five Bo!)

(Note: This ^^^ review of ‘Nashville Checklist’ was written solely on my thoughts and opinions. Of course to each their own! Now if you haven’t bought it, go to a live Bo show or ITunes to purchase it! Bo’s schedule is found on his website, http://www.bophillipsband.com until next time, bye y’all!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/nashville-checklist/feed/0reddirtlisaCole Swindellhttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/cole-swindell/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/cole-swindell/#respondMon, 19 May 2014 15:33:40 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=595]]>Hey y’all! Well it’s another day with me nose deep in music(: I’ve been super busy and haven’t really had time to slow down and write til now so I’ll be quick with my stories. Now I know I said in a previous post that I was gonna talk about mainstream country too despite my name being Red Dirt Lisa. Really I love all kinds of music; classic country, mainstream country, pop country, red dirt and Texas music country, I don’t have a limit. Of course I’ll be snarky and make my own comments on some mainstream artist but it’s only because it’s what I think. Some of my friends don’t like Luke Bryan but I have highs and lows with Luke and here’s my thoughts on that… I love some of Luke’s stuff, like the first album he put out that had good songs like ‘We Rode In Trucks’, ‘I’ll Stay Me’, and ‘First Love Song’ those to me were great coming from him and I even love some of his newer stuff like ‘Drink A Beer’ and ‘Play It Again’ but when he starts singing about being a “winner winner catfish dinner”, wearing bedazzled skinny britches and is twerking more than Miley I gotta drop my head and wonder who his publicist is and why they’re still not working with Prince. (Of course I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like watching his booty shake it for me) I like some of the country pop stuff coming out of Nashville, I admit I put in my ear buds and jam to it while push mowing my yard (Yes some of it makes me think I can dance) and I do turn it up in my car and put on my own personal concert. (Don’t judge you do too…)

While skipping through my Pandora song list one day this catchy new song came on and I thought “Who is this cat?” It was a new artist named Cole Swindell and he was singing his song called ‘Chillin’ It’ at fist I was thinking that this was some more pop in my country and people were gonna gripe about it (and they did) but the song grew on me and I liked what I was hearing. Then I read he got picked up to be an opener on Luke Bryan’s ‘That’s My Kinda Night’ tour which made sense but I wasn’t going to drop a butt load of money for a ticket. I didn’t have to, several of my Facebook friends bought tickets and went and posted video’s pictures and their own personal opinions and they all made comments about Cole. I still wasn’t sold. It took a month or two til me and my friend Ashley were in the check-out line at Wal Mart and there was the ‘last minute stuff you might need but really you don’t’ rack. I looked over and there sat Cole’s debut album sitting there all cute and such for $10, Ashley informed me Pandora played a lot of Cole stuff and he had more than just one good song, so I said “What the hey, I’ll buy it. It’s only $10.” The next day while painting my entire house I listened to that album on repeat and thought to myself “This is the best $10 I’ve spent in a while!” The more I listened to it the more I loved it. So then I did some extensive creeping on Mister cutie patootie Cole and stumbled upon several things that booted me on up to biggest fan status. He’s a Georgia native, (Well… well… well…) he and ol Luke Bryan were frat brothers in college, (I’m betting he can do one helluva keg stand!) and most importantly he writes or co-writes his own songs and this includes songs for other fellow Georgia artists (Craig Campbell, Thomas Rhett and Florida Georgia Line to name a few)

I was sold. Well not entirely, I went looking through tour dates. Listen I don’t give a crap how good you are to look at, how many great songs you have or how many awards you have displayed in your big house on the hill, if you cant knock my socks off with a live show then I’m gonna tell you about it!

There it sat… the closest venue to me was in Oklahoma City and by golly I was going. So I ordered the tickets then told Ashley to set aside any plans she might’ve had cause we had a hot date. So the end of March me, her, her husband and my boyfriend loaded up and traveled the 3 1/2 hours to OKC to watch Cole at this little place called he Diamond Ballroom. Now I guess while drooling over Cole I never thought to do research on the Diamond Ballroom… The only thing I knew about the place was there was always a good artist booked there, little did I know (I found out later from my cousin) that it was in the shady lower part of town meaning rough. In all honesty I don’t know why this thought never crossed my mind because when we walked in the door there stood four cops. Not “sugar bear cops” as my friend Jennifer calls em, but real friggin’ cop with real guns and a real badge. (Real okay?) The place was a good sized establishment, clean, very well ran and very well taken care of. I took a look around and noticed the huge pictures that lined the walls of previous artist that had been booked there then… they patted us down. Not like a little pat, I mean you had to spread em and they made sure you were packing a gun, knife, 2×4 anything that could harm someone. (Holy cow! A little heads up would’ve been great!) Once I got past the shock of that experience we walked on in and found a good place to stand to watch the show. Now when I go places I observe the place… The Diamond Ballroom had clean beer and liquor bars, friendly bartenders, ran by nice but stern people and their bathrooms were clean. Yeah you read that right, their bathrooms were clean, smelled of cleaner and had clean floors. I’m not certain on the capacity limit of the place but it was not packed nor was it sold out for this show. (Give him a year or so and he’ll pack it out) Finally, at 10:30 Cole took the stage, he did his own songs, he sang the songs he had co-wrote for other artist and even did some covers of some 90’s country songs. He was great with the crowd and was very high energy. (yep that ticket to go see him and ol Luke would’ve been a good buy…) Then just as everyone was getting all fired up the concert was over, I look at my clock and it reads 11:40. Um…what? We drove nearly four hours, got patted down as if we were hiding a shank in our bra and then the show was only and hour and ten minutes long?! I guess its safe to say while oogling over Cole I should’ve been doing research on the venue, maybe if I had I would’ve read that they close at midnight. (Way to go Lisa)

Would I recommend you seeing him live? Yes. Would I ask his booking people to reevaluate their contracts and make the show longer? I already did(: Overall he put on a great show, our tickets were affordable and I’d for sure go again to see him. Y’all support live music!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/cole-swindell/feed/0reddirtlisaJosh Abbott meltdownhttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/josh-abbott-meltdown/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/josh-abbott-meltdown/#commentsMon, 10 Feb 2014 22:53:31 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=470]]>Hey y’all! I haven’t been on here as much in a month, I’ve been busy redoing the inside of my house and keeping up with the music. I did however take a break Friday and creeped Twitter at the request of a friend cause I was missing quite the show…

As some of y’all know I’m a huge Josh Abbott Band fan and as weird as it sounds I haven’t been creeping Twitter as much as I used to. I do follow Josh Abbott Band members and Josh Abbott’s wife on Instagram and Twitter but noticed not much has been going on with any of them. Well when I creeped on Josh Abbott’s Friday I realized probably why. Josh came out and openly admitted to having problems with alcohol abuse, infidelity and language. Now this might come as a shock to some especially if you follow Josh or his wife on Instagram or Twitter, it seemed they had the perfect marriage and seemingly perfect life. I’ve had several people ask me my thoughts and opinions on the situation and well I’m about to unleash the beast on y’all…

I know as a child of God that we all make mistakes and that we’re also forgiven for those mistakes. I also know right from wrong when I’m faced with a situation, granted I don’t always do the right thing but when I screw up I’m ready to face the music. Alcohol abuse and language… (clearly I know this area quite well) we’ve all backslid. I mentioned this in my ‘The Truth Shall Set You Free’ blog. We all make mistakes those mistakes such as partying like a rock star, cussing like a sailor, snorting cocaine off a strippers butt cheek, wrecking hotel rooms. (Okay, so the last two things I just threw in there cause the blog needed a funny line. If you don’t find it humorous, tough crowd.) I think we’ve all made the mistake of having a drink or two and spouting off some dirty words. It’s not my place to judge, however I do not condone cheating or lying. I don’t tolerate it, I think if you’re not happy you should pack up and peace out. If you took the vow and made the promise in front of God and the one person you love the most then you honor it. Plain and simple. If you find yourself not happy or leaning toward cheating then you should sit down with your spouse or significant other and say, “We need to talk.” I have been through the divorce deal and it’s not a walk in the park, I wasn’t happy. I broke my promise to God and to my spouse, but I’ll answer for that. I’ve also been cheated on and lied to (and yes I punched him in the face. If I would’ve thought of it, I’d peed on his toothbrush) Just kidding on the peeing on the toothbrush, if you didn’t giggle over that, get out. But that’s the reaction I had; hurt, anger, betrayal. You trust the one person and they take your heart and do a tap dance on it. Now I don’t know the whole story behind Josh and his wife. I just know I sat staring at a bunch of tweets just like every other JAB fan in the Twittersphere and raised an eyebrow.

Remember back in 2012 when I blogged about the Josh Abbott Band show at Georges in Fayetteville? (If not, go look it up on here.) Anyways, he was blitzed, him and the band along with Rob Baird had been tweeting they had visited ‘Shotz’, a bar on Dickson Street. Then during Rob’s set Josh came from backstage and sang with him while two sorority girls stood in the back waiting on him. He wasn’t wearing his ring and when JAB took the stage for their set, and he sang ‘Taste’ and ‘Touch’ he sang them rather vulgar like… Everyone knows Fayetteville is a college town and if you’re a fan of JAB you know they’re all about the colleges. So, you can decide off that bit of info what you reckon, I know that me and my friend Megan discussed our thoughts on it, and it didn’t look good from where we stood.

His wife had tweeted to someone while it was all burning up Twitter; “Please do not applaud him for his honesty. He’s been lying to me for 7 years.”

I look at artist in the past who have done the same. Artist such as Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks to name a few and Denise Jackson booted Alan out for a while before working on their marriage and working through the problems they both faced. So much so, she wrote a book about it. I’ve read it, it’s a great book. Garth Brooks cheated on his first wife Sandy, While he was onstage he went into to sing ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’ and couldn’t because of the guilt he had felt, singing a song that was intended to mean something for his wife and he couldn’t sing it because of his unfaithful decision. He came clean and they worked through it, it ultimately ended in divorce and he went on to marry country sweetie, Trisha Yearwood. I look at artist that had drinking problems and worked through them. All the problems Josh Abbott has, can be fixed in time and if he genuinely is sorry for the pain and embarrassment he’s caused his family and his wife’s family and most importantly if he wants to really turn into the Godlly man he wants to be.

In closing, my opinion might not mean much. I see Granger Smith, Wade Bowen, Aaron Watson and Cody Canada who are all happily married and have been for sometime now and think “Man, they go out and do the same thing Josh Abbott does and they didn’t screw around on their wives, why couldn’t Josh have done that?” The songs he sings, I cringe when I listen to some because you know he must’ve written them for his wife and the love he has for her. They just aren’t the same as they were before. It’s kinda like being an innocent kid and finding out the dang Easter bunny ain’t real, you’ve been broadsided with the ugly truth and it’s hard to swallow. I think Josh Abbott Band got too big too fast. The high living of all the female fans and the hard life on the road got to him and went straight to his head (maybe both, who knows.) The band has had a successful career and I’d hate for fans to turn their back on them but if it happens it happens, it’s all a part of God’s plan on what He has in store. Should he have went to Twittersphere with the problems? Yes and no. I think he owed it to his fans to tell the truth and to face the problem and address it, I think if he done it with the right intentions then okay but if he did it for the band to be in the spotlight and get more attention and he’s playing the pity party he needs his toothbrush peed on and slapped in the crotch. Just kidding! Until next time my friends, bye y’all!

]]>https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/josh-abbott-meltdown/feed/2reddirtlisaKeith Whitleyhttps://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/keith-whitley/
https://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/keith-whitley/#commentsWed, 15 Jan 2014 19:00:01 +0000http://reddirtlisa.wordpress.com/?p=334]]>Hey y’all, I hope everyone is having a great day today. It’s a new day and it’s nice and sunny outside which to me means good writing weather. (Granted I can write when the mood strikes me but when the weather is nice out that’s when I write the best.) With writing also comes the thing I rely most on which is music. Music is great for your moods, I don’t have moods or emotions like most people, I have songs. Weird I know but honestly it’s easier for me to tell someone after they’ve asked what’s on my mind, “Go listen to this.” and then I’ll tell em a song that is best describing what I’m dealing with at that time. For example; I had a bad break up awhile back and when my ex called me up to talk to me about things I said “You know I think you need to go listen to Bo Phillips Band’s song ‘The Pissed Off Clown Song’ or Keith Whitley’s song ‘I’m Over You’. Then tell me what you think.” Needless to say he didn’t call back so I think he got the hint (also if you’ve never heard those songs, I strongly suggest you stop reading and go to YouTube and look em up.)

So now that you’ve read the title of this blog and seen that I mentioned Keith’s song you’re probably wondering why I’m blogging about him. Lucky for you, I’m about to tell you why… So sit back, grab a soda pop or some Skittles and get ready to read why I think so highly of KW.

Keith Whitley…. man oh man if you’ve ever loved country music then you must’ve heard this man sing a time or two. Keith’s well known songs include; ‘I’m No Stranger To The Rain’, ‘It Ain’t Nothin’, ‘Homecoming ’63’, ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ (which was later covered by Alison Krauss and Union Station), ‘Miami, My Amy’ and that’s just naming a few. I have several friends that dote on KW and for good reason, if you went and YouTubed his song ‘I’m Over You’ and then watched some more videos then you know that his voice is one of a kind. Keith’s voice is, in my own opinion, soothing. It doesn’t matter what kind of day I’m having I can get in the car or turn on the radio and pop in one of his cd’s and BAM! Instantly I feel better. It could also be the sound of the music… no pops and whistles, it sounds like what country music should sound like. If you listen closely to his songs, you can hear the emotions in his voice. I love it. I hate the fact that I was 19 days short of being 5 when he passed away and I never got to go see him live in concert. I was just knee high to a grasshopper when my mama took me to see Tanya Tucker and then when I was 6 or 7 she took me to see Hank Williams Jr. Both concerts I remember still to this day. You can better believe I’d remember some Keith Whitley! If I could meet and interview any artist alive or dead I’d choose Keith, there’s so many things I’d ask him.

I learned to two step to Keith’s song ‘Ten Feet Away’, still to this day when I hear it, it takes me back to that moment in my life. (I was 16!) I remember spending the summers with my memaw and aunts and they would turn on CMT, of course I was glued to the TV. I remember sitting there watching ‘Homecoming ’63’ and ‘When You Say Nothing At All’ videos. One of my good friends, Erin Bear Glinski (formally Neal) and I used to listen to Keith a lot. Erin had this white Ford Mustang at the time and back in the day when it was cool to cruise we’d drive around listening to Keith. One memory that stands out in my mind and I’m not sure which one of us was nursing a broken heart from a bad break up at the time but she slung a Keith cd in the Mustang and turned up the volume and on came ‘I’m Over You’ and away we went driving and listening to that song as Erin Bear sang to it loudly and I giggled. I might not have remembered which one was broken hearted but I remember after jamming to that song 1,486 times, neither one of us was suffering anymore.

Another Keith song that stands out to me is ‘Don’t Close Your Eyes’ which went #1 in 1988. My Lord, it gets to me. I listen to it continuously and the line that sticks out the most is:

I think everyone has thought that at least once in their life. If you’re not familiar with the song once again, go visit YouTube or go buy an album. I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed by any of his songs.

Unfortunately, Keith’s career was cut short by his untimely death May 9,1989 at the young age of 34. I, in my own opinion, will say this about Keith… had he not passed away he would’ve had a larger than life career and he would’ve been one of the few artist to stay true to his country sound. Call me crazy but I strongly believe it. I can mention Keith’s name and whoever I’m around, you can see it in their face, they light up and start talking about their favorite song and boast on him and his music. I have friends that weren’t even born until after Keith’s death and you can believe they love his music and own all his albums. If that doesn’t tell you what a amazing singer he was then I don’t know what will!

I’ve read Lorrie Morgan’s book 5,493 times (True story, I’ve read it so many times. It’s that good!) If you haven’t, I strongly suggest you buy it and read it. It’s in her own words and it’s about her love story with Keith. From the time they met til he passed away, she recounts everything. I respect her on many levels and once you read the book, you will too.

While they were together they had a son, Jesse Keith Whitley, now if this name doesn’t sound familiar you take your butt right back over to YouTube and look him up right now. He’ll knock your socks off with his voice and his performances. Jesse Keith is one of those artist in Nashville that, I know, will be a household name within the year. Yes, he’s that good and who would’ve doubted it? His mom is Lorrie Morgan and his dad is Keith Whitley, God couldn’t have planned that any better. While you’re creeping YouTube, look up his song ‘Kentucky Thunder’ and then look up his cover of ‘Tell Lorrie I Love Her’, a song written by Keith to Lorrie that he recorded on a little recorder in their living room then was later sang at their wedding by a friend.

I had contacted Jesse Keith last October to ask about a possible interview for All Twang TV. We planned it and I took off for Tennessee the end of November, that trip was short lived. I was hit with terrible pain in my right kidney and then later realized I had a kidney stone. So I had to cancel and come home, I’m hoping I can reschedule that highly anticipated interview with JKW for this year. He, just like his daddy, interests me and I’ll gladly support both of them openly and proudly.

Y’all have a fabulous day and as soon as you can take your butt to Hastings, Wal Mart, Best Buy or wherever they sell cd’s and purchase any Keith Whitley album you can find and if you already have them, then take a hour break from whatever you’re doing and relax to some soothing sounds of KW. Until next time, bye y’all!